There are reports coming in from across New York City that new voting machines are causing all sorts of trouble. Rivals in the 14th Congressional District (Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Reshma Saujani) didn’t seem to have any trouble submitting their ballots. But we’re hearing from Lower East Side voters that all is not well at many polling locations.
Lo-Down reader Naomi Pena reports:
I was at ps 134. There was only one machine working because the other was broken. The woman intaking at the desk wanted to control all the ballet(s) but she was told by another worker that she was missing information on her ballots. The Spanish translator was telling the elders that they had to pick only one candidate. I asked after I filled out my form if there were only two categories and she said no, just one. Huh? The one working machine did scan well. I just think that training these workers for a few hours is unacceptable when there’s new technology they have to learn.
Ella Leitner told us:
The voting machine kept crashing on me (Seward park coops)! My ballot would not scan properly. You’d think in 2010 they would have tested the system to prevent paper jams. I’m reminded of the movie Office Space with the ‘PC Load Letter’
Apparently, even some of New York’s most powerful citizens are having trouble exercising their democratic rights. WNYC’s @azipaybarah reports on his Twitter stream: “source spots Schumer @ a polling place in Brooklyn: “he is, like, screaming at the staff that he wants to vote.”
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